COLUMBIA — The 1940s yielded many great things: “The Ed Sullivan Show,” Frank Sinatra and classic films. In honor of the those times, MU’s Museum of Art and Archaeology is bringing them to the big screen during the second season of its Third Thursdays film series.
Every third Thursday of the month, the museum will screen a vintage film mostly from the 1940s or early 1950s that has a connection to one of the museum’s exhibits.
Cathy Callaway, associate museum educator, said she loved getting to pick which films to show. A self-declared film buff, fan of Bette Davis, anything romantic or from the 1950s, she said she had no problem finding great movies.
“The art inspires the choice and helps narrow it down,” Callaway said. “There’s just so little time and so many movies.”
The film series is also a good opportunity to see great films that aren’t always available to rent, said Bruce Cox, assistant director of museum operations and a collaborator on the series.
“We take for granted that film was made to be seen on a big screen,” Cox said. “We’re used to seeing films on TV, but you get a completely different effect when it’s seen on an epic scale.”
Because Third Thursdays has been so popular, the museum has added a second group of showings called First Fridays. Those films don’t tie in with current exhibits, but are about art and artists.
“We think it’s a great opportunity for students and the community to enjoy vintage films in a unique setting,” said Arthur Mehrhoff, academic coordinator at the museum. “If dating still exists, this is the place.”